Sullivan County Legislature OKs $100K for development study along Old Route 17

Thursday

May 18, 2017 at 9:06 PM

Pauline Liu Times Herald-Record @PaulineLiu845

MONTICELLO - A $100,000 grant to study the economic development potential along 1 1/2 miles of Old Route 17 was approved by Sullivan County legislators on Thursday with a 7-2 vote.

Those who voted against the measure were Majority Leader Alan Sorenen, a Republican representing District 9, and Catherine Owens, a Republican from District 4.

They argued that the county's Industrial Development Agency should provide the funding rather than taxpayers.

"The IDA was created by this body, and this is exactly the type of project that the IDA should be taking on," Sorensen said.

Marc Baez, CEO and chairman of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development, asked the county for up to $100,000 to pay for the study.

He believes that the Old Route 17 corridor between the towns of Thompson and Liberty might have as much as 500 acres of property suitable for industrial or commercial development.

"Kudos to the legislature for investing in Sullivan County," Baez said, after lawmakers approved the plan. He explained that the legislature had earmarked $100,000 in its 2016 budget for economic development, which remained unspent.

"I can't think of a more appropriate project to spend it on," he said.

The towns of Thompson and Liberty, as well as the Village of Liberty, is each expected to contribute $20,000 toward the study, which could cost as much as $160,000, according to Baez.

Assuming that the two towns and the village are all on board with the project, the Partnership will put out a request for proposals. There is no specific timeframe.

The study will look into what types of businesses would be appropriate for the Old Route 17 corridor as well as how much it would cost to extend water and sewer services to the sites to make them "shovel ready."

Baez said he didn't approach the IDA about the study, but he will seek funding from the IDA down the road.

"When we do the infrastructure study, we're going to need them," he said.

Supporters of the study say it provides the potential for job diversity.

"We need to give people an alternative to working at McDonald's or at a hotel," Town of Thompson Supervisor Bill Rieber told the lawmakers.